


In My Memory (Bruce/Scott)

by ReginaNocis



Series: Obscure Love [13]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, X-Men - All Media Types
Genre: Bruce Banner Needs a Hug, M/M, Texting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-25
Updated: 2017-04-25
Packaged: 2018-10-24 00:47:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,010
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10730727
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ReginaNocis/pseuds/ReginaNocis
Summary: Bruce only wanted to honor her memory... how did Scott get involved? And why can 't he seem to stop texting him?





	In My Memory (Bruce/Scott)

Bruce had never been able to move past Betty's death. He would always blame himself, even though he hadn't been there. He had a suspicion (that could never be proven) of what project she'd been working on when it went wrong. He had still been on the run when he heard about it. It was, ultimately, what made him decide to help people while he was 'Bruce' and not the other guy. So he started treating patients in small villages when he stopped to hide.

The other change he made in his routine after her death involved buying a cell phone. It was her birthday, and he just wanted a way to pay his respects. He could never go to her grave, because Ross would be expecting that. So instead, he bought the cell phone and sent texts to the number that used to be hers. The first one simply read 'Happy Birthday'. After that, he sent them on every holiday and the days that he just needed to be close to her. He never received a reply, so he figured the number had been discontinued. It was his own private link to his deceased love.

 

~~

 

_Sent May 2 nd, 2011_

_Happy Birthday. I miss you every day._

 

_Sent July 4 th, 2011_

_It doesn't feel like a holiday to me without you, but happy independence day._

 

_Sent September 23 rd, 2011_

_It's the anniversary. You know which one. I wish you were still here._

 

_Sent January 1 st 2012_

_Happy New Year. I doubt it will be any better than the last._

 

_Sent May 2 nd, 2012_

_I wasn't wrong. It's been worse. Happy Birthday, Betty._

 

_Sent October 30 th, 2012_

_I don't have to wear a costume. I already am the monster. I'm sorry. I wish I could tell you in person._

 

_Sent May 2 nd, 2014_

_I'm sorry I missed last year. Happy Birthday._

 

~~

 

The Chitauri army made everything harder for him. He lost the cell phone, but he remembered her number. It was something he was never going to forget. When Tony caught him digging through his bag frantically, some explanation was needed.

“What's wrong, Big Guy? Something I can help with?” Tony asked, leaning in the doorway. “If it's something you lost, I can replace it or help you look, if you want.”

Ordinarily, Bruce would just say no and move on. This was something personal, and he could always just run out to a store and get a cheap cell phone to replace the last one. But Tony was looking at him with so much hope that he just couldn't turn him away.

“I lost my phone sometime during the battle, and it's something that I actually need. I have a standing appointment that requires it,” he admitted. He was expecting questions and forced explanations, but none came. Instead, Tony just nodded and left him alone with his thoughts.

Three days later, a brand new phone was sitting on his desk in the lab. It wasn't like anything Bruce had ever seen before, and he realized that Tony must have built it himself.

 

~~

 

_Sent November 23 rd, 2014_

_It never feels right, knowing you aren't somewhere waiting for me. I miss you. I love you._

 

_Sent December 31 st, 2014_

_I don't think I can do this much longer without you._

 

_Sent May 2 nd, 2015_

_Happy Birthday. I love you._

 

_Received May 2 nd, 2015_

_I'm sorry, who is this?_

 

_~~_

 

He spent an embarrassingly long time staring at the screen when he received the text. He wasn't expecting anyone to receive these. It had been years, and nobody had ever replied before. It figured that this is when the phone company chose to re-issue the number. He'd just have to find a new way to pay his respects. He also needed to reply to this person before they called or something equally embarrassing.

 

_Sent May 2 nd, 2015_

_This was my girlfriend's number when she was alive. I always used to send her little texts on holidays or when I was feeling down. This is the first time anyone has ever replied. I'm sorry, I won't bother you again._

 

He thought that would be the end of it, but he was wrong. It took a few hours, but the stranger sent a message back. What started as a mistake ended up starting a very strange friendship. Or something like it, at the very least.

 

_Received May 2 nd, 2015_

_That's okay. It's really not a bad idea. My own girlfriend died not long ago, and I never thought to do this. I think it's a really good idea. You don't have to stop._

 

_Sent May 2 nd, 2015_

_Wouldn't it bother you, though?_

 

_Received May 2 nd, 2015_

_No. I can just ignore them. I won't even read them, if you don't want me to. We should each be allowed to mourn in our own ways, right?_

 

_Sent May 2 nd, 2015_

_I appreciate that. I won't ask you to ignore them, though. If I send any more, you're welcome to read them I suppose. It wouldn't be fair to ask you to do otherwise, as it's your phone now._

 

_Received May 2 nd, 2015_

_It's no trouble. I'm Scott, by the way._

 

_Sent May 2 nd, 2015 _

_I'm Bruce._

 

_~~_

 

He didn't send anything for several weeks, though he thought about it a few times. It didn't seem right to send something meant for Betty when somebody else was definitely going to see it. On the third week, Bruce realized that the texts he wanted to send weren't for Betty anymore. He found himself wanting to know more about the man who was willing to put up with texts from a stranger to someone who was dead.

Still, he didn't send anything until Tony accidentally blew up the lab and he needed a way to calm himself down as quickly as possible.

 

_Sent April 3 rd, 2015_

_I don't suppose you'd be interested in talking for a bit, would you?_

 

He didn't have to wait for more than a minute or two for the reply. It came so quickly that Bruce half thought the man (Scott, he reminded himself) had been waiting for his text.

 

_Received April 3 rd, 2015_

_Sure. I'm between classes right now, so I've got time. Everything okay?_

 

_Sent April 3 rd, 2015_

_Not exactly. My friend just exploded something again, and I need to stay calm. He's busy putting out fires, and I can't be in there for a while._

 

_Received April 3 rd, 2015_

_So you're some kind of scientist? We've got a lab here at the school, but it's not for the students, and I couldn't do anything in it if I tried._

 

_Sent April 3 rd, 2015_

_I'm a scientist, yes. Tony is an engineer, though, and he's prone to explosions. Are you a student then?_

 

_Received April 3 rd, 2015_

_Nah, I'm a teacher, history and math mostly. I'm fairly good with cars, but that's not really the same as whatever Tony does, I'm sure._

 

_Sent April 3 rd, 2015_

_I think you'd be surprised. He'd be annoyed with me for telling you, but he spends almost as much time on his cars as he does on his actual inventions._

 

_Received April 3 rd, 2015_

_Sounds like a cool guy. What about you, though? What kind of things do you work on?_

 

_Sent April 3 rd, 2015_

_Currently, nothing. I was trying to change a molecular structure, but I'm pretty sure I just lost all of my work._

 

_Received April 3 rd, 2015_

_Wow, I'm sorry. It sounds really impressive though. Maybe you can get Tony to help you redo it._

 

_Sent April 3 rd, 2015_

_He can't understand half of it, but he helps me with equations sometimes. If he wiped all of my work, he's going to be doing all of them this time._

 

_Received April 3 rd, 2015_

_See, there you go! Everything will work out just fine._

 

_Sent April 3 rd, 2015_

_Are you always so optimistic? It's kind of refreshing._

 

_Received April 3 rd, 2015_

_Oh god no. I'm just in a good mood right now. I do have to go now, though. Class starts in five minutes, and I have to prepare._

 

_Sent April 3 rd, 2015_

_Oh, good luck._

 

_Received April 3 rd, 2015_

_Thanks._

 

It didn't stop there. Over the next few months, Bruce learned quite a bit about Scott. He taught five classes a day, sometimes including weekends. He spent hours of his spare time in the garage, the time he used to spent with his girlfriend (Jean). He found out that Scott had favorite students that made his day better, and there was a man who lived in the school that he just couldn't stand. The owner of the school, someone he just called 'Professor', had taken him in at a young age, and he'd just decided to stay after he finished his education there.

Bruce also found himself sharing quite a bit about his work and his own life. Minimal facts about his childhood, mostly just that his parents were both gone now. The fact that he traveled quite a bit, all of the ways Tony both annoyed and helped him, the fact that until very recently he didn't have friends, and the fact that he was ready to move on again. He didn't like staying in one place for very long. It gave Ross more of a chance to catch up to him, and the whole world knew that Bruce was staying with Tony. It was only a matter of time.

Of course, the others noticed his strange behavior as the time went by. Nobody came right out and asked, but all of them made a point of staring every time he had his phone out. Tony made comments about Bruce's special friend that went ignored for the most part. Bruce had decided from the beginning that it was none of their business and he wasn't going to tell them anything.

Ultron was his final straw. He'd let Tony talk him into the project, had gotten so caught up in the development and then the resulting apocalypse that he'd forgotten all about the threat that Ross posed. He'd also forgotten about texting Scott and keeping him updated after the first attack. It all came slamming back into his attention at the same time, when Ross managed to track him with all of the news cameras focused on the big battle. He could see him in the crowd of people watching in the distance, and knew that his time with the team was up. So he took the quinjet when it came for him after Ultron's demise, and he didn't look back. He couldn't afford to.

He ended up somewhere in Canada, a town he'd never been to before. After much thought, he decided to stay there for a few months, and he began volunteering at the local hospital. He wasn't a medical doctor, but he'd somehow become the personal doctor to the Avengers, so he had some practice with strange injuries and illnesses. On his fifth day there, he bought a cheap phone and sent a text to Scott to let him know that he'd survived.

 

_Sent November 23 rd, 2015_

_It's Bruce. I lived through the catastrophe, but I lost my phone and my home. I can never go back._

 

_Received November 23 rd, 2015_

_I'm sure that's not true. After everything you've told me, your friends seem to love you. Especially Tony._

 

_Sent November 23 rd, 2015_

_Yes, well. Remember that I used to travel? I was on the run from my dead girlfriend's father. He caught up to me during the last battle._

 

_Received November 23 rd, 2015_

_You were a part of the battle?!_

 

_Sent November 23 rd, 2015_

_Knowing everything that you do, how did you not realize exactly who I am? I'm half of the reason there was a fight at all!_

 

_Received November 23 rd, 2015_

_Wait. Are you telling me that you're Bruce Banner? The HULK?_

 

Bruce didn't know what to answer. He'd been under the assumption that Scott had figured it out months ago, when they'd first talked about their professions. It had felt nice to finally have someone accept him and still want to speak to him. Apparently, that's not what had happened after all.

 

_Sent November 23 rd, 2015_

_Yes._

 

_Received November 23 rd, 2015_

_Well that just makes you even more interesting. So wait, if you aren't with Tony (I'm assuming Stark?), where are you?_

 

_Sent November 23 rd, 2015_

_Safe, finally. And yes, Tony Stark is the engineer I've told you so much about. I'd appreciate it if you didn't go to the media with any of that._

 

_Received November 23 rd, 2015_

_Why would I go to the media? That would be betraying your trust. And you didn't answer my question._

 

_Sent November 23 rd, 2015_

_I stopped in Canada. I'm volunteering at a local hospital for a few months, until it's time to move on again._

 

_Received November 23 rd, 2015_

_What if I told you that I know a place you could stay indefinitely and not be found?_

 

_Sent November 23 rd, 2015_

_I'd tell you that you're crazy, and it's a cruel joke. I haven't been able to stop running since the accident. There is no such place._

 

_Received November 23 rd, 2015_

_You're not the only one with a strange background, Bruce. That school I teach at is a school for mutants, and it's in Canada. I'm fairly certain the Professor would let you stay here indefinitely._

 

_Sent November 23 rd, 2015_

_Do you mean Charles Xavier? A lot of things make sense now._

 

_Received November 23 rd, 2015_

_Does that mean you're considering it?_

 

_Sent November 23 rd, 2015_

_Send me the address. I'll be there within a few days. I can't promise that I'll stay, though. Nowhere is ever really safe with me around._

 

_Received November 23 rd, 2015_

_I think you'll find that can be said about most of the people here, myself included._

 

_~~_

 

Bruce had second and third thoughts in the two days it took him to pack up what little he had and drive the distance to Xavier's school. Yes, Scott knew who he was now, but there was no way the Professor would agree to let him stay there once he found out just who he would be hosting and how much of a loose cannon he was. Sure, Bruce hadn't had a mishap since Ultron, but that didn't mean much. He hadn't had a mishap for years before New York a few years previously. There would never be peace for him.

He hesitated at the gate for so long that one of the students (he assumed) noticed him and came to let him in, thinking he was locked out.

“The Professor told us to watch for a visitor, I'm assuming he meant you?” she asked. “Mr. Summers is really excited to meet you. He keeps accidentally bringing you up in class. We all read one of your papers last week. I think I was one of the only ones to understand it. I'm Kitty.”

“I'm Bruce, but you seem to have already figured that out. You said Professor Xavier is expecting me?” he asked, trying not to be overwhelmed.

“ _Relax, Dr. Banner. There is more to this place than it seems. As long as you are here, I can assist you in not becoming your alter ego, if that's what you wish. You can be at peace here.”_

Bruce looked around frantically, trying to figure out where the voice was coming from. Kitty seemed to realize immediately what was going on, and she covered her mouth in an attempt to hide her laughter. It failed.

“Sorry, I should have warned you or something. Or Scott should have. The Professor is telepathic. He can hear thoughts and speak through them. He probably sensed your anxiety or something. He does things like that for us when we need it,” she explained when she managed to stop. “Come on, we're almost there!”

Bruce had assumed that she was taking him to the Professor's office, but he was wrong. The door they stopped in front of was a classroom, and he could see a man sitting behind the desk grading papers. Kitty knocked quickly then took off running down the hall. Bruce was about to call out a warning when she passed right through the wall she was going to run into. Instead of being startled, he just smiled. Maybe he wouldn't be so out of place here.

“ _This is a place for anyone unique who needs shelter. My students all have abilities that ordinary people fear, and they seek help and guidance here. You are just as welcome as they are, though I may have you teaching eventually. We're in need of a new science teacher. The lab will, of course, be yours more or less.”_

He was concentrating on the voice in his head so much that he didn't notice when the classroom door opened. Scott was just staring at him when he finally looked up and met his eyes, flushing.

“Sorry... it's a lot to take in. You must be Scott?” he asked. Instead of words, Bruce found himself being pulled into a hug.

“You don't know how worried I've been. I didn't hear from you for weeks, and then when you finally texted, it was to tell me you were on the run from some psychopath! Don't do that to me again,” Scott said quietly, not letting go.

This was... nice. For years, the only person who would touch him was Tony Stark, and that was mostly to test how much irritation Bruce could handle. Scott was the first person to show him actual affection since Betty. It was something he could definitely get used to. Yes, he was pretty sure he'd like it here a lot.

 


End file.
